Eleanor at 200,000 miles. It's complicated.

Well, it happened. Finally.

On February 5, 2018, Eleanor, my 2007 Yamaha FJR1300, reached another milestone in its journeys on the paved roadways of this world. Hitting any mileage mark at any point is an accomplishment, but when it's something that only happens every hundred thousand miles, it's a moment that will be hard to replicate again for a long time and with another motorcycle.

Unfortunately, the celebration was a bit short-lived. On the morning of February 7th, Eleanor was sidelined on my way to work due to a hydraulic fluid leak, preventing me from using my clutch and halting her progress at 200,087 miles on the odometer. As result, she was towed back to my regular mechanic, which at the time of the publishing of this post, she has remained. Originally, I was planning to drop her off for a full valve adjustment as part of major service. To add to the fun, I had the luck of being caught behind a major backlog of repair jobs in front of mine, and two of them were complete engine rebuilds! However, the end of this nearly three-month wait for her return to her parking spot at my house is imminent, and I look forward to putting miles back on her.

It has seemed like an eternity without her here, further compounded with what had transpired in between then and now in both my personal and professional world. These last several months have been a series of transitions from one chapter of my life to another. In some ways, I am glad that Eleanor wasn't with me to witness many of these moments as they just seemed to pile up in an overwhelming succession. Still though, even with one of my most beloved companions down for the count, it has allowed me to recollect and reflect on moving forward and onto greater things. Hell, even returning to even write this is an accomplishment in itself. I would attribute that to special moments that have helped me find clarity and safety to refresh and reload, and for that, I will be forever grateful.

My new reality is not unfamiliar, but aspects of it are in places that I had hoped to not revisit again. But now, I look at these new scenarios with a different set of eyes and a much larger sense of hope. What is clear now is that I am meant for something else and that I am deserving of so much more than what has been dealt to me. Regardless of what the future holds in the next several months, I will be more than okay.

I will end this post with the beginning "ramble test" episode of my vlog that I had filmed with my GoPro on the way to Silverado, CA, on February 4. This was the day before Eleanor's odometer flipped and shot with her windshield actually wiped down properly. My plan is to start doing these as a series with a more structured outline of discussion, but it'll be a little while until I can revisit this side project. Anyway, enjoy.

2018 Yamaha Star Eluder: Test Ride Video!

Hey, it's been a while! I'm trying something new with my acquisition of a GoPro Hero 5 Black, and for the first time, I was able to do a video of my entire test ride of the 2018 Yamaha Star Eluder bagger motorcycle. Enjoy the show!



Overall, I found the bike to be very well-balanced and smooth. Its engine is identical to the original Yamaha Roadliner/Stratoliner that debuted in 2006. The electronic cockpit was easy to read from a quick glance, and the onboard dual speakers are more than enough to counter the wind noise. One of my few critiques of the bike is that it lacks a heel-toe shifter which would be perfect for a bike with such a forward foot position. I recommend taking a test ride on one of them for kicks. You won't be disappointed.

Happy 10th Birthday, Eleanor!

This is how Eleanor, my 2007 Yamaha FJR1300AWC and my long-time companion on many a journey, started her 10th year of operation...by not operating very well at all! (Cameo by my cousin who took me home after my tow.)

Eleanor officially turned ten years old on April 26, 2017. This is a testament to both the stubbornness and longevity of this bike and its owner. However, the last couple years have slowed her down a bit as the combination of the road salt of the Midwest, mileage, and having endured every rideable weather condition imaginable in all that time caught up with her. Her electrical connections have required some rehab and cleaning, and every now and then, those issues reappear and deem her unsafe to operate on the street.

Case in point, her headlights stopped functioning on April 25 as I was leaving from my class that night at CSULB. I made it down one exit on the 405 North before I pulled off and hung out at a gas station and a donut shop for about three hours while I waited for a tow truck to transport Eleanor back to Pacific Motorsports in Harbor City. Allow me to explain my difficulties.

I swear, I still love Eleanor. But dammit why is she such a diva?! 😂😢😭 The lady at the gas station is nice, though. #technicaldifficulties #motorcycleproblems #waitingforatowtruck #itsonlyTuesday #post1500

A post shared by Christine (@twowheeledtourist) on Apr 25, 2017 at 9:06pm PDT

Now, I will say that this long span of time being stranded did allow me to broadcast a couple Facebook Live posts and reconnect with a few friends online that I hadn't spoken to in years. When the first tow truck arrived an hour later, I had to decline it because the person showed up without a flatbed vehicle. The second driver, Matt from SoCal Moto Transport, brought the appropriate equipment and vehicle and performed a flawless transport of both her and me back to Harbor City.

Here's Eleanor being lifted onto her throne like the #diva she is. #HappyBirthday you crazy #motorcycle. Towing provided by @socalmototransport. #Yamaha #FJR1300 #roadsideassistance

A post shared by Christine (@twowheeledtourist) on Apr 25, 2017 at 11:35pm PDT

I referenced some posts from this time last year, and not surprisingly, Eleanor encountered the exact same issue with her headlights and spent her 9th birthday at the dealership as well. It's pretty obvious that I need a more permanent solution to this repair. However, that engine still runs as strong as the day I bought her from Long Beach Yamaha (now Del Amo Motorsports Long Beach) ten years ago.

4/26/07...Happy 9th birthday, Eleanor! You get to spend it with Uncle Robert at Pacific Yamaha in #HarborCity because your headlights decided to stop working on Sunday. I'll eat a cupcake on your behalf. #happybirthday #sadface #partyfoul #Yamaha #FJR1300 #motorcycle #companion #blowoutthecandles #itsjustafleshwound

A post shared by Christine (@twowheeledtourist) on Apr 26, 2016 at 10:44am PDT

I wonder if Eleanor has just become a diva in her old age or likes facials, but regardless of the reason, it's been a bit inconvenient to have her unavailable to use for my random video shoots or for those moments when I want to go far but reduce the amount of dead dinosaur juice that I want to burn. My solution, a new addition to my vehicle fleet, will be introduced in another post. I'm still unwilling to give up on my old friend, but my very busy life meant that some issues had to be rectified. I'm very confident that she'll be back to somewhat normal; I just have to wait a little longer.

Enjoy your facial, you silly bike.

It's been a long ten years, Eleanor, but we made it this far! She hit the 190k mile mark on our way home from Pacific Palisades. Her engine is still strong and kicking! Hoping to make it to 200k by the end of 2018. #Yamaha #FJR1300 #mileagequeen #Torrance

A post shared by Christine (@twowheeledtourist) on Apr 24, 2017 at 11:11pm PDT

Fun Peeks: Yamaha FJR1300A-P Concept

I'm starting 2017 with eye candy. Back at the International Motorcycle Show in Long Beach in November 2016, the Yamaha section had this gorgeous motorcycle specimen on display as a "concept" bike. In Europe, this isn't a concept bike! This is a normal patrol bike across the ocean in several European countries! *sad cry* I digress.

In addition to the Yamaha FJR1300 offered as a police bike abroad, the XJ600 and XJ900 are also get the law enforcement outfitting. I'd be more afraid of a smaller police bike that can zip through anything to take a baddie down than a larger one, to be honest.

I also wonder, aside from the obvious add-ons of lights, crash cages, a rear trunk cover instead of a rear seat, and narrower city cases for more effective lane-splitting, if there were upgrades to the electrical system such as a larger battery or stator like is done with the BMW R1200RT-P.

Filing this under "things to make you drool that you won't see in the wild United States." I think Eleanor would look good in white. At least people would pull the hell over when I'm trying to filter through gridlock because of the intimidation factor. What do you think?

Day 3: A Gas Shortage in Iowa, near Waterloo. Couldn't escape if I wanted to.

**This series of posts recap my two-week trip to Billings, MT and back from July 1-16, 2013. For the entire list of my featured rides, click here.**

Murphy's Law: "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong."

I don't know who you are, Murphy, but if I ever meet you in a parking lot, you're getting a swift kick to the nuts.

At least the first part of the day was just fine and dandy. Actually it wasn't.

Ride Review: 2012 Yamaha Super Téneré

This is a review that I've hoped to have the chance to do, and this bike is definitely worth the test ride.

Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to throw a leg over a 2012 Yamaha Super Téneré XT1200Z on a 20 minute test ride through some of the nicest roads in northern Ohio. I still can't stop thinking of this bike, especially because of its split personality - it's an adventure bike that offers not only a smooth ride down paved roads but also has the ability to take you down dirt paths effortlessly. Now, granted that I'll probably be doing most of my travel on the street/highway, this machine gives me even more confidence to explore the most random places off the beaten path.